Saturday, August 16, 2014

I always liked the concept behind Johnny Thunder, sort of Aladdin crossed with a superhero. Even though the Thunderbolt was incredibly powerful, he could only do what Johnny commanded, and Johnny on his own had no special abilities. This dynamic made for some interesting adventures and set the character apart from traditional crime fighters.

In the forties, before he learned what the magic words were, Johnny would accidentally say "Say you" in conversation. The Thunderbolt would then appear and obey all of Johnny's commands (whether given intentionally or accidentally) for one hour. I don't know how he discovered what the words were, but I imagine that after the first few years, it finally occurred to him to ask the Thunderbolt.